Women entrepreneurs get a $50 million boost hosting on Airbnb

As the US observes Women’s Equality Day, the holiday marking the passage of the 19th Amendment, we at Airbnb particularly want to celebrate the more than 10,000 women hosts across the country who have used their Airbnb income to support their own entrepreneurship.

Together, these 10,000+ women hosts earned $50 million in income through Airbnb in 2016 and used it to either support themselves while launching a new business, or as direct investment capital for a new business. Women hosts in the US earned an average $6,600 on Airbnb last year, according to a recent study of our women host community around the world.

Airbnb empowers hosts to earn extra income by leveraging what is typically their greatest expense, their home; setting their own listing price; and keeping 97 percent of it. While 60 percent of all US hosts say the income has helped them stay in their homes, and 51 percent say they use it to make ends meet, many hosts use the income to pursue new economic opportunities for themselves and to help their communities.